Chapter 924: Two Families Duel at the Drum Tower, Cui the Daoist Issues a Death List

The Drum Tower is in the center of Guzhi, surrounded by four large roads, and four main streets run through four archways, making it the premier scenery of Guzhi.

Dagukou—one of the three treasures: the Fort, the Drum Tower, and the Bell Pavilion!

This Drum Tower is named Drum Tower, but it is actually a Bell Tower, three stories high. The bottom floor is a square platform built of bricks, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, with four arched doorways, allowing traffic on the four streets of east, west, south, and north.

On this platform, two stories were built.

The first floor enshrines the Heavenly Empress Holy Mother, Chaoyin Guanyin, and the Three Sages of Creation, etc. On the second floor of the tower hangs an iron bell weighing nine hundred jin, covered with scriptures.

When Wu Ya led more than a hundred Profound Truth Sect disciples from the Beimen Street straight to the Drum Tower, the roadsides were already filled with thugs standing crookedly. Thousands of people from the Fighting Guild, Martial Guild, and Porter Guild stood on both sides of the street from the Drum Tower.

The usually bustling four streets were even more bustling at this time!

The rickshaws, mule carts, and pedestrians passing by were all squeezed into the center of the road, and even the thugs baring their teeth and claws on the side didn't dare to do anything to them.

No one knew how many people in Dagukou opened their eyes before dawn.

They opened their eyes and owed a day's meal money; they really couldn't afford to stop working. Even the imperial court had to be careful when cutting off their livelihood, let alone a few groups of thugs.

When Wu Ya of the Profound Truth Sect led his people to Beimen Street, this was the scene he saw. Several big thugs holding teapots, shaking folding fans, and curling their lips had already set up their formation, sitting swaggeringly on the second floor of the Drum Tower, one by one paralyzed, sitting on grandmaster chairs, looking coldly at them.

And the road in front was crowded. Either squeeze everyone to the sides and show off their toughness.

Or they had to obediently pass under the blades of the thugs on both sides of the road.

Wu Ya smiled coldly, and a group of black, noisy birds flew over from both sides. The flock of birds was like a group of eagles, driving away the pigeons in the sky above Dagukou, and the whistling sound of pigeon whistles came from all directions.

A man wearing a long gown, looking quite unruly, stood up from the Drum Tower and cursed: "Ouch! Don't drive my pigeons away! Grass mud horse..."

At this time, people wearing black robes and various ghost and god masks jumped onto the ridges of the shops on both sides, shook their hands, and several bright flying knives, hidden weapons, arm crossbows, and bows and arrows were drawn. They carried thick-backed broadswords on their backs, and their hands were clasped like Taiji Yin and Yang.

The left hand was light, wrapping the right hand; the right hand was dark, hidden in the left hand; one thumb pointed up, one pointed down; the right hand hidden underneath still buckled the middle finger and ring finger, holding the Three Sages Seal.

This was the Profound Truth Sect's Dharma Seal—Profound Truth Seal!

Looking at both sides of the road, Profound Truth Sect disciples stood on the roofs, aiming at the crowd below with hidden weapons and hard crossbows. The thugs didn't dare to make a sound, and even the patrol police maintaining order were scared to death.

The patrol captain cursed: "How did the Profound Truth Sect people mix in? Occupying the high ground on both sides? If they raise a flag to rebel, things will get big!"

"So you'd better be honest and sensible!"

A patrol policeman behind him suddenly tore off his face, revealing a strange leather mask, and put a knife on the captain's neck.

The patrol police around him also wiped their faces one after another, and masks of various colors appeared on their faces, holding the team of patrol police hostage.

The masks also looked like they had a way, all kinds of demons and ghosts, green, red, black, yellow, and white faces, called the Five Camps Divine Generals...

On the roof ridges on both sides of the street, large flags fluttered. Under the fluttering flags, black ropes were shot toward the opposite side by crossbow arrows. Then, about a hundred Profound Truth Sect disciples holding black flags flew up from both sides and landed on the intersection of the two black ropes.

The black flags rolled and paved a road in the sky.

People from all directions shouted: "Respectfully welcome the First Holy Envoy under the Sect Master!"

Crow and the forty or fifty people around him leaped up together, their cloaks behind them flapping like wings; the group actually landed steadily upon those waving flag surfaces, as if they had opened up a path above the heads of the crowd on North Main Street, skimming rapidly across by stepping on the black flags.

The common people of Dagukou below who didn't fear trouble cheered.

Every time the Profound Truth Sect crowd flew over, the two large flags would separate, and the disciples holding strong crossbows and hidden weapons on both sides would disappear instantly.

Wu Ya stepped through the air, and wherever he went, it was like splitting mountains and dividing water, flags flying like waves.

By the time the dozens of people with him landed on the second floor of the Drum Tower, the Profound Truth Sect disciples on the roofs of the shops on both sides were also wrapped in black flags and disappeared.

The next instant!

The entire second floor of the Drum Tower, full of people from all walks of life, the heads of the big guilds only saw black flags rising from their sides, and hundreds of Profound Truth Sect disciples appeared instantly below, surrounding the Drum Tower tightly.

Many people's legs were trembling, their faces pale from the murderous aura of the knives and guns.

But some people scolded: "What does your Profound Truth Sect want to do? Every time there is a big duel between guilds, we invite heroes from all sides to witness it. These are all venerable old seniors from various gangs and guilds. Your Profound Truth Sect should not break the rules!"

Crow stood on the city gate tower, looking at the pair of wooden couplets at his feet, and chanted in a low voice: "High and open, quickly ascend and gaze, watch the shadows of sails coming and going on the seventy-two shallows; in the prosperity, who is awakened, listen to the one hundred and eight strikes of the morning and evening bells."

Turning back to look at the thugs who wanted to show off and give a show of force, but were completely suppressed by the Profound Truth Sect's show of force, Wu Ya raised his hand, the flags flew, and when they fell, half the people were swept away, and then when they fell again, half were gone.

Finally, only about a hundred disciples remained surrounding the Drum Tower, and together with the dozens of people he brought, it was just right to face the number of people on the floor.

Wu Ya sat firmly, the disciples on both sides spread out the flags, like a table and chair wrapped in black flags, letting Wu Ya sit down.

"Yesterday, the Sect Master personally read the challenge letter you sent!"

Wu Ya cupped his hands: "The Sect Master said that Guzhi originally had laws, although they are just the rules for the lower nine streams to mix for food, but since there are rules, my Profound Truth Sect is also willing to give everyone face and follow these rules. So, you invited me, and I came!"

"This envoy is the First Holy Envoy under the Sect Master!"

"Representing the Profound Truth Holy Sect Master, I make three chapters of the agreement with you. First, this duel must be open and aboveboard. If there are any shady tricks, those who are despised by everyone! The Holy Sect will punish them! Second, this duel does not forbid outsiders. If your Green Skin Guild wants to invite people to help, you can. Third, life and death in this duel are up to fate, no resentment, no private matters. If anyone wants revenge, come openly, and this sect will accept it!"

"If the three chapters are agreed upon, we can begin!"

On the city tower, the heads of the guilds looked at each other. An old man over sixty, with white hair and beard, stood up from the Changchun Guild. Everyone said he was fair in handling things, and he was an elder of the Jing Gate of the Changchun Guild, known in the Jianghu as Qiu the Chou Xiangshi, who could see through skin to bone.

"Good!"

The physiognomist said: "The Profound Truth Sect Master is indeed fair. These three chapters are impartial, and we have no objections."

The seven big thugs looked at each other, and Li Jinao stood up again, cupping his hands: "We have no objections either!"

After the words fell, the thugs behind the seven big thugs set up their formation. Dozens of people held a piece of yellow paper in their hands, on which were written each person's birth date and time, even the calculated date of death, and the return of the evil spirit, written in secret text.

This thing is the death list that the dead take into the coffin, also known as the underworld transmission talisman.

According to the rules, a dead person can have no coffin, but cannot lack this death list.

Because the soul needs a transmission to enter the underworld, without this thing, there is no name in the Book of Life and Death, so even if it is a corpse that died of poverty on the side of the road, the official side will open such a death list.

Wu Ya saw clearly that the death list stated each person's date of death and method of death, which was clearly a secret ritual and a provocation.

"Giving a death list to a living person..." Wu Ya sneered: "Even if a person is dead, they can use the power of the death list to duel with us as a dead person. Whoever wrote the death list, how bold!"

The crowd turned back, making a path, revealing a lazy Daoist.

Cui Bu'er was shameless and said with a smile: "There are not many people in Dagukou who dare to give a death list to a living person, just me, the old Daoist. But the old Daoist doesn't want to get involved in your affairs. I just rely on this death list to mix for a meal. Giving a death list to a living person, the earlier you get it, the earlier you die. Whoever comes to let me write this death list, Cui the Daoist doesn't ask for the reason. Alas! It's easy to die, but hard to live!"

"After being processed by me, the old Daoist, a living person can enter the underworld!"

"How about it, your Profound Truth Sect, do you want to ask me to write a few for you too?"

Wu Ya looked at Cui the Daoist and revealed a smile: "Cui Bu'er, you are a rare character in Dagukou, even the Sect Master has seen you once. Usually, you look at physiognomy in linen, and rest in the Tianhou Palace. A living person writes a dead person's talisman, calling you a Death God... nothing wrong!"

"However, Cui the Daoist, you'd better not show off your death list in front of the brothers!"

"The Sect Master said it well, after so many years, the common people are getting poorer and poorer!"

"In the past, when being buried, one could still buy a few feet of land from the underground master to live in. Now, except for the transmission talisman, one comes empty and goes empty. When one reaches the underworld, one is just a ghost, with nothing! Pitiful, pitiful!"

Wu Ya held out a wooden tablet, on which was written—Twelfth Year, Eighth Month, Jiazi New Moon, Profound Truth Taiyi says: Guzhi Ya clan, obstructs the migration to the Nether Capital, petitions the Nether Capital to receive the number, report when the book arrives, dare to say it. Eighth Month, Jiazi, Profound Truth Taiyi orders to move to the Nether Capital Capital Chancellor.

It was full of funeral objects and luggage after death.

Eight liang of Tai Sui meat, sixty strings of underworld money, two tripods, one lamp, five bronze mirrors...

It was full, just bronze ware had more than twenty pieces, and countless secret medicines, pottery, and porcelain for burial. There was also an underworld contract document for buying six feet and three inches of land in the Nether Capital with twenty strings of underworld money and secret medicine—Lamb Dharma Wine.

Wu Ya held the wooden tablet document and mocked: "See! This is the land-notifying policy written by the Sect Master himself, allowing me to bring so many things into the Nether Capital. You are still poor ghosts when you get down there, and I am going down to be a god! I am the master of the underground, with six feet and three inches of underworld land."

"Oh! Cui the Daoist, this death list cannot send you down, you are still just a lonely ghost wandering between heaven and earth!"

"But this land-notifying policy is the real thing that can send us down to the Nine Nether..."

Wu Ya sneered mercilessly, glanced at the thugs holding the death list, and the contempt in his eyes was undoubtedly revealed.

"Death list, haven't you already been on it?"

"The whole world is a huge death list, and you have long since left your names on it, unable to be liberated... Even if you die nine times in the Netherworld, it is nothing more than reincarnation. Your consciousness has long been covered in dust, repeating the seven-year return of the evil spirit, unable to be liberated!"

Wu Ya raised the land-notifying policy in his hand, and his voice was deep: "Only by bowing to my Lord, borrowing the endless power of the Profound Lord and the Bright Venerable, can you get a glimmer of life and pass through this uninterrupted suffering!"

"We often mourn for you, forever falling into the uninterrupted, unable to be liberated, pitiful and sighable!"

The Profound Truth Sect disciples beside him all sang solemnly: "Forever falling into the uninterrupted, pitiful and sighable!"

Cui Bu'er showed suspicion. Others only thought the Profound Truth Sect disciples were playing ghosts, but he heard Wu Ya's words as sincere, even carrying a huge sympathy and compassion. Those echoing disciples were also sincere in chanting this text.

And in those words, there seemed to be something hidden that made Cui the Daoist's heart jump.

Instinctively, he felt a huge, suffocating suffering coming, almost making him unable to breathe!

The thugs only thought the two sides were arguing, fighting for face. Seeing Cui Bu'er slightly at a disadvantage, they invited out the divine tablets of the six Grandmasters, set up an incense table, and offered the tokens representing the six Grandmasters. ===== CHAPTER 925 =====